Wash-board protector



(No Model.)

J. M GORHAM.

WASH 30AM) PROTECTOR. No. 285,254. Patented Sept. 18, 1883.

n ETERS. Fmlo-m mv. wmiwm. DJ;

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. GORHAM, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

WASH-BOARD PROTECTO-R.

SPECIFICATION forming To on whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHNM. GORHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, countyof Ouyahoga, State of Ohio, have invented or discovered a new anduseful; Improvement in Protectors for Nash-Boards; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, concise, and exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,making a part of this specification, in which-like letters indicatinglike parts'- V Figure 1 is a plan view of the upper portion of awash-board, the protector being bent down as packed for shipping, thesame being illustrative of my invention. Fig. 2 is a view of my improvedprotector-removed or separate from the wash-board frame, showing theparts in the same relative positions as in Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is aperspective view of a portion of the board, the protector being raisedto working position and aportion of one corner of the frame broken awayto show the construction of parts.

My present invention relates to certain im provements in that class ofwash-board protectors for which Patent No. 223,338 was granted to meJanuary 6, 1880, whereby such protectors are made removable orreversible and adapted for use with either single or dou blewash-boards; and it consists of a yielding protector having a protectingplate or board hinged or flexibly connected by springs to aholding-strip, both being separate from the wash-board frame, to whichthey areattached for use by means such that the protector proper may beremoved readily and. placed on either side of the board at pleasure.

In the drawings, A represents a doublefaced wash-board, which, except ashereinafter' described, may be of the usual or any desired construction.The frame of the board shown consists of side bars, a a, crossstrips aabove and below the rubbing-surfaces a, brand-board a and cap orhead M.The pro-f tector- O is constructed and secured to the frame as follows:A board or plate, 0, .of any desired width and form, is connectedtoaholding-strip, c-, of wood or other material, by means of two spiralsprings, e e-one at either part of Letters Patent No. 285,254, datedSeptember 18, 1883.

Application filed Au ust 22, 1882. (No model.)

I end-which are seated 011 rounded tenons or pins 0 formed by anyconvenient cutting mechanism on the lower corners of board 0. One end,0, (dotted lines) of each spring is pressed into the body of board 0, soas to hold the same securely,'and the other end, 6', is passed throughthe strip 0, and there secured by binding or clinching or in otherconvenient way. In fastening these ends the springs are put undertension, so that their. combined strength or pressure is exerted to holdthe board 0 against the side face of strip 0 and in position forwork-when placed in the board, as illustrated in Fig. 3. Consequentlythe board 0 will yield or bend forward under pressure of the bodythereon in use, but will reassume the proper upright position as soon assuch pressure is removed. In order to hold the springs firmly in placeand strengthen the pins 0 and board 0, zinc or other sheet-metal strips,Z), are punched near one end and placed on the pins outside the springs,the upwardly-extcnding ends being bent upon and tacked to the edges ofboard 0 across its ends. Such strips prevent warping and splitting ofthe board 0 and strengthen the pins, and for these reasons I prefer touse them. The requisite strength of these parts may be secured in otherways, however, and in such case the strips may be omitted. By preferencethe pins 0" are extended somewhat beyond the ends of board 0, and theholdingstrip 0' is made of still greater length, so that its endsproject beyond the ends of the pins. This feature of construction is notan essential one, however, but is adopted for convenience with referenceto securing the protector to the frame of the board, which is done bypassing the ends of strip 0 and pins o into grooves, notches, orrecesses 71 11', respectively made in or across the adjacent faces ofthe side bars, a

a, next or near to the cap a. By making the' i a bent wire, 8, or anequivalent button orother fasteningdevice, may be turned upon its edgefrom the frame a, and thus hold it as occasion may require, so as to beavailable whichever side of the board is used. This feature ofreversibility from side to side constitutes one important object orpurpose of my invention, and the means by which Isecure it are simpleand convenient. The wire 8 is passed through the cap a, and its ends arebent in opposite directions, so that when one end is turned onto thestrip 0 the other end will be on the edge of cap a, and thus preventcatching on the garments of the user, and also prevent the wire frombeing drawn upward in case the hole through whichit passes is made nearthe inner face of the cap, as in Figs. 1 and 3. It is not essential thatthe ends of pins 0 should enter grooves t" in the frame, and, ifdesired, these grooves may be omitted, the pins being made shorter, soas to pass down between the full faces of the side bars, a. I prefer,however, the construction shown, as it afiords additional support to theprotector. Also, recesses or notches answering substantially the samepurpose as the grooves i may be made by strips, pins, or cleats nailedor otherwise fastened to the inner faces of the side bars, a, withoutcutting the bars out. -If desired, any suitable or' well-known form offlexible connection may be employed between the board 0 and strip 0,instead of the coiled springs e, and in such case one or more springs ofany desired form may be used to press the board a upward into workingposition; but I prefer to use the springs as shown on account ofcheapness in construction and adaptation to the requirements of thecase. Instead of pressing the end 0 of the spring into the body of board0, as above described, it may be bent against the outer face in suchposition as to prevent the spring from turning to destroy its tension,and other like modifications may be made in the details of constructionwithout departing from my inv'ention.

WVith my present improvement I secure a yielding or spring-supportedprotector possessing all the advantages of that in my prior patentreferred to, and, in addition, it is re movable and reversible, and doesnot form a part of the frame proper, but is separate from andpractically independent of the frame. The board can be used without it,and it may be made and sold apart from the board and readily applied tomany or most ofthe boards in common use.

I am aware that reversible spring-protect ors permanently attached toand practically a part of the frame of the board have been shown inprior patents, and I do not claim such feature of construction, broadly;but I am not aware of any removable and reversible spring-protectorhaving the features of construction and invention which I have hereinshown and described.

I claim herein as my invention' 1. A removable protector forwash-boards, having in combination a protector-board, c, a holdingstrip,c, the two having a flexible, connection, and both being separate fromthe frame of the board, and a spring or springs for pressing and holdingthe board 0 upward in working position, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a wash-board, of protector-board 0, strip 0,and spiral springs e, such springs forming a flexible connection underspring-tension between the board and strip, substantially as. and forthe purposes set forth.

3. A wash-board having grooves, notches, or recesses across the adjacentfaces of its side bars, near the cap, in combination with aholding-strip having ends adapted to fit into such grooves, notches, orrecesses, and a yielding protector-board flexibly connected to theholding-strip, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. v

JOHN M. GORHAM.

\Vitnesses:

H. L. RoBINsoN, O. N. SHELDON.

